“The Odd Couple” Performed at Rose Theater

Senior Joileeah Worley consoles senior Emily Bello after her husband breaks up with her in the play “The Odd Couple” peformed April 19-20.

The Spring play “The Odd Couple” was performed at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday this past week at Rockhurst High School’s Rose Theater. Students were able to get free tickets while general admission was $10 for a ticket.

This female adaptation of the original play follows the story an unlikely bond between characters Florence Unger and Olive Madison played by seniors Emily Bello and Joileeah Worley. After Unger moves in with Madison, they must work through their differences to live peacefully together.

“I’m looking forward for the audience to see the progression of Olive’s character and same with Florence’s character, “ junior and Assistant Director Jordan Harrison said. “They develop traits of each other and that’s pretty cool.”

This version of the play features female leads where they develop a sisterly bond throughout the show, despite their different personalities.

“I think it was interesting that we’re not actually related in the show but we kind of develop a sisterly bond and you see us become closer,” Bello said.

Visual and Performing Arts teacher Elizabeth Mulkey chose “The Odd Couple” because of its strong female cast and because it’s a classic in a literature sense.

“I look for strong female characters who have purpose and meaning in healthy relationships and I love the relationships between these characters,” Mulkey said. “I was looking for something more classical in the literature sense and this kind of filled that category, too.”

With productions like this, the play requires lots of behind-the-scenes work to make the show run smoothly. From rehearsals to costumes to set design, a lot of work goes into what is seen on show night, according to Harrison. One challenge directors faced was how to keep the actors in motion while performing on stage.

“One thing that’s really hard about this show is most of the time they’re all sitting at the table, so it’s not very interesting for the audience,” Mulkey said. “You have to find purposeful movements and moments. Something I wanted the cast to focus on was how did each of you sit and how do you portray your difference in characters by just sitting.”

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